Atlanta United must bounce back against Miami

Atlanta United didn’t lose to Philadelphia because it didn’t have striker Josef Martinez, according to manager Gonzalo Pineda.

Atlanta United didn’t lose to Philadelphia because it was tired, Pineda said.

But it lost, 1-0. And the score flattered the Five Stripes. They were dominated by the Union. The played without passion.

Now, it has to fix whatever was wrong by Wednesday when it hosts Miami at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Five Stripes are again below the seven-team playoff line and need to beat the visitors to avoid losing more ground to the teams it is chasing.

“We need to make sure that come Wednesday when we cross the white line, that we’re ready for an absolutely battle,” goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. “Because they know that their playoffs hopes are on the line and ours are as well. The margins are so fine. So we need to make sure that in all aspects of the game, we’re ready to compete. And I believe we will be.”

Atlanta United is an interesting spot. It trails third-place NYCFC by just three points, or the equivalent of one win. It leads 10th-place Miami by four points. Atlanta United has eight games remaining and has just two games that won’t be favored to win: at Montreal on Saturday and when it hosts NYCFC on Oct. 20.

Pineda used the word “reflect” many times when answering questions about the team’s poor performance in Chester, Pa. and how he is going to think about how he can best try to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Playing without Martinez, it created just four chances and put just two shots on goal. It had scored 10 goals in its previous three games, including one in which it didn’t have Martinez.

Credit: MLS

Atlanta United was outshot by Philadelphia (18-6), which also put more shots on goal (9-2) in stopping the visitors’ three-game win streak.

“We have to be better even without Josef,” he said. “We have to create more chances and have to get better movement with the ball. We didn’t do that today. ... We need to regroup and reflect as a group what we can do better. Then go out and try to. perform on Wednesday vs. Miami.”

Pineda’s next media availability is Tuesday, which is when there may be clarification on if Martinez will play. He was dealing with knee discomfort last week and didn’t travel with the team to Philadelphia. Pineda has said many times that playing on artificial turf can be tough for Martinez and his knee, so there is some mystery regarding his status for Wednesday.

Miami has lost its last two games by a combined score of 9-1, so it can be argued that Atlanta United may not need Martinez. The counter to that is Miami has the best road record, 4-4-3, of the teams below the playoff line.

“If you are going to be successful, you have to find that little bit extra,” centerback Anton Walkes said following Saturday’s loss. “We didn’t do that today. Fortunately, it’s something we do have in our locker. We need to make things right. The games are coming very quickly and it’s the business end of the year. We know what we strive for and were fortunate enough to turn things around.”

For more content about Atlanta United

Follow me on Twitter @DougRobersonAJC

On Facebook at Atlanta United News Now

On Instagram at DouglasDavidRoberson

Atlanta United coverage on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Atlanta United’s 2021 MLS schedule

April 17 Atlanta United 0, Orlando 0

April 24 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 1

May 1 New England 2, Atlanta United 1

May 9 Atlanta United 1, Inter Miami 1,

May 15 Atlanta United 1, Montreal 0

May 23 Atlanta United 1, Seattle 1